Took You Long Enough
by Goddess Isa
Summary: Finally, a good Valentine's fic from me


TITLE: Took You Long Enough  
AUTHOR: Goddess Isa  
EMAIL: goddessisa@aol.com  
SUMMARY: Finally, a good Valentine's fic from me g  
SPOILER: S4 more or less. No B/R sex. YUCK  
DISTRIBUTION: Sandee, of course - My site - http://planetslaythis.hometsead.com - Crystal and Butterfly if they want it - A Soul's Redemption - Anyone else - sure, just email me & lmk where it's going - I like seeing my name in print =)  
FEEDBACK: Please, I'd hate to have to Slay for it. =P  
RATING: TV-PG  
DISCLAIMER: Joss owns the characters. Joss sucks.   
  
  
  
"Willow, go!" Buffy practically pushed her friend out the door. "Spike's waiting."   
  
"But--"   
  
"No buts."   
  
"You can't spend Valentine's Day alone in the dorm." Willow said sensibly.   
  
"Why can't I? I've got everything I need. TV. Stupid movies." she held up Mallrats and Dazed and Confused. "And most importantly, I've got cookie dough. I'll be fine."   
  
Willow sighed. Then she pictured Spike in his leather pants and perked up. "Okay, I'm going. But I'll be home early."   
  
"No, you won't!" Buffy said, laughing. "Have a good time."   
  
"I will. Bye."   
  
Buffy shut the door behind her best friend and sighed against it. This was not how she'd planned on spending her first Valentine's Day at college. Until a few months ago, she'd thought Angel would magically appear and make everything right between them, but after her visit to LA Thanksgiving weekend, she was so mad at him she wasn't sure she ever wanted to see him again. Then she thought maybe she might spend it with Corn Boy but Riley had turned out to be a demon, and his death had been inevitable.   
  
It would be terrible for Buffy to admit she enjoyed killing him, but she did. It wasn't like he was human, but Giles made her feel as though it were just part of the job and that she shouldn't be emotionally involved at all. She wasn't when it came to relationships. Riley never really got her juices flowin' anyway.   
  
It was about revenge. See, Riley had made Buffy abandon her friends. Made her think his way of fighting was the right way.   
  
And worst of all, he'd made her celibate!   
  
At least Angel would kiss her!! Riley had to run to church and repent every time they brushed hands.   
  
Sighing, Buffy threw her hair into a ponytail and plopped down on her bed. Remote in hand, she started with a marathon of Undressed on MTV. Nothing like a bunch of spoiled, attracted, oversexed teens and twenty-somethings to make a single person feel lousy on Valentine's Day. Buffy opened a tube of Oreo cookie dough and began eating as she got into the stories of sex, love and more sex.   
  
She was the most taken with Rory and Jana, mostly because they were realistic and most of the other couples weren't. She noticed a guy named Michael looked *so* familiar, but she just couldn't tell from where. Shrugging it off, she ate half the tube before passing out from boredom.   
  
Hours later when she woke up, it was after midnight and naturally, Willow was still gone. She switched the TV off ("Loveline is just people having sex and then complaining about it," Faith had once said and she was right) and put her radio on, throwing a pillow over her head so she could be mopey in the dark.   
  
"You're listening to Erica on WDIR's special Valentine request show. This next song goes out to someone with the initials B.A.S. Your Guardian Angel wants you to know he's thinking of you even though he can't be with you and that somehow, eventually, you'll work it out."   
  
Buffy pulled the pillow off her face and turned the radio all the way up, waiting with anticipation to hear what the song might be.   
  
She knew it instantly, and the tears came to her eyes as she remembered that they'd danced to this song together just once, at her senior prom.   
  
  
//Here I am  
  
Broken wings  
  
Quiet thoughts  
  
Unspoken dreams  
  
Here I am  
  
Alone again  
  
And I need her now  
  
To hold my hand  
  
She's all, she's all I ever had  
  
She's the air I breathe   
  
She's all, she's all I ever had  
  
It's the way she makes me feel   
  
It's the only thing that's real  
  
It's the way she understands   
  
She's my lover, she's my friend  
  
And when I look into her eyes  
  
It's the way I feel inside  
  
Like the man I want to be  
  
She's all I'll ever need  
  
So much time  
  
So much pain)  
  
There's one thing  
  
That still remains (it's the)  
  
The way she cared  
  
The love we shared  
  
And through it all  
  
She's always been there  
  
She's all, she's all I ever had  
  
In a world so cold, so empty   
  
She's all, she's all I ever had  
  
It's the way she makes me feel   
  
It's the only thing that's real  
  
It's the way she understands   
  
She's my lover, she's my friend  
  
And when I look into her eyes  
  
It's the way I feel inside  
  
Like the man I want to be  
  
She's all I'll ever need\\   
  
  
Buffy was startled by a knock on her door as the song ended. She lowered the volume on her stereo and yelled "I turned it down, all right?" but no one said anything and the knocking persisted.   
  
Sighing, she got out of bed, pushed the loose strands of her hair behind her ears and threw the door open.   
  
Angel was standing there holding a single rose, smiling at her.   
  
"Happy Valentine's Day," he said.   
  
Buffy just stared at him, saying nothing.   
  
"Can I come in?" he asked. He waited for her to answer and gestured with his eyes when she didn't invite him.   
  
"Fine," she said, annoyed. She folded her arms and let him enter. It was then that she realized she was crying and that tears were still running down her face. She quickly turned around and grabbed a tissue off her nightstand, wiping her eyes and blowing her nose.   
  
Angel shut the door and looked at her. "I owe you an apology, and several other things. I'm a bit rusty on Valentine's Day protocol, but I thought I'd go with the basics. Flowers," he handed her to rose and she took it, but was tempted to toss it out the window. "And candy," he pulled a box of M & Ms, her favorite, out of his duster. "And jewelry." he handed her a small box.   
  
She sat on Willow's bed and opened it. "A Claddagh?"   
  
"I've got your last one," he said quietly. "So I thought you might like a replacement. The crown has an Australian crystal in its center. The heart--"   
  
"I know what it is," she snapped. The diamond seemed to pick up on the moonlight coming through the window and it sparkled, even in the darkness.   
  
"It's beautiful," she took it out of its box but couldn't put it on. "Why are you here?"   
  
"Cordelia had a vision last night," he knelt in front of her. "You and I were being married. We were on a beach, at sunset, and all our friends were there, even Spike."   
  
"Spike's a friend?" she asked, shocked.   
  
"That's not the point. The vision, Buffy. We're meant to be together."   
  
"So you've decided to stop being a guy because of some dream Cordelia had?"   
  
"Not a dream. A vision, like Doyle."   
  
Buffy nodded, remembering vaguely what Xander had said about Cordy getting Doyle's powers after he was killed. "Angel?"   
  
"Hmm?"   
  
"Aren't you forgetting something?" she asked with a small smirk.   
  
"Sorry," he muttered. He took the ring from her and grabbed her hand. "Marry me."   
  
"Took you long enough," she mumbled before pulling him towards her for a kiss. Curses and parents and sacred duties and everything else was forgotten as he lifted her up and carried her to her own bed where he made love to her throughout the night.  



End file.
